Julius Caesar (play)

Bust of Julius Caesar, the character for whom the play is named. However, Caesar is not the central character and is killed in the middle of the play.

Julius Caesar is a tragedy by William Shakespeare based on the death of Roman emperor Julius Caesar. The play is followed by Antony and Cleopatra. The play is famous for Antony's 'Friends, Romans, Countrymen' speech.

Synopsis

The play opens with Julius Caesar's triumphant return to Rome, having defeated his enemies including his lead rival, Pompey. Shortly after his arrival, a nobleman, called Cassius, starts a plot to assasinate Caesar. Several Romans are jealous of his new power and seek to take it for themselves. One of the unsure conspirators, Marcus Brutus, does it for a different purpose; to preserve the Roman Republic. The assasination takes place as planned and the conspirators proclaim that Caesar was an ambitious tyrant. However, they make the mistake of letting Julius Caesar's close friend, Mark Antony, to give an oration at the funeral. He rallies the Romans against the conspirators and they flee. Antony and Caesar's nephew, Octavius, form an army to take the conspirators. Both of their armies meet at Philippi. The conspirators lose the battle and both Brutus and Cassius commit suicide.

Quotes and Lines

"Let me have men about me that are fat;
Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o'nights:
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much, such men are dangerous"
-Julius Caesar (Act I, Scene 2)

"Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar!"
-Julius Caesar (Act III, Scene 1)

"Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears;"
-Mark Antony (Act III, Scene 2)

"This was the noblest Roman of them all:
All the conspirators save only he
Did what they did in envy of great Caesar;"
-Mark Antony (Act V, Scene 4)

External Links

Open Source Shakespeare - Julius Caesar